


Well Begun is Half Done

by EscapingArtist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Mary Poppins - All Media Types
Genre: Crossover, Good Slytherins, Hufflepuff, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-01 22:24:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 12,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16774093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EscapingArtist/pseuds/EscapingArtist
Summary: “Professor Binns” she cut in again, “What about muggle children? Does the quill distinguish between wizarding and muggle children? Are there procedures in place for identifying muggle children who exhibit magic and coordinating with a wizard representative?”





	1. Quill of Acceptance

_And the quill of acceptance rises out of the inkpot and attempts to inscribe said name into the book of admittance. However, should the book not sense a significant enough magical occurrence it will snap shut._

The voice of Professor Binns droned on and the students fought to keep their eyes open. Slytherins and Hufflepuffs alike drooped lower and lower. All except Mary, she sat straight up, quill poised above the paper, with a look of intense concentration on her face. Suddenly, her hand shot straight up in the air.

No one noticed

The students didn’t because they were in a near stupor. Professor Binns didn’t because never in his 84 years of teaching had any student EVER raised their hand. “Professor Binns” she said in a loud crisp voice. He stopped mid-sentence and scowled over his glasses. “Professor Binns” she repeated “The quill of acceptance, you said that it detects all flares of magic? But the book of admittance only notes down students who are of sufficient magical ability to go to Hogwarts?”

“Yes” he answered shortly “Now, as I was saying”

“Professor Binns” she cut in again, “What about muggle children? Does the quill distinguish between wizarding and muggle children> Are there procedures in place for identifying muggle children who exhibit magic and coordinating with a wizard representative?”

“Hmph” a low voice spoke from the back of the room “You want to identify all the muggles, Slytherin? Why’s that so you can keep watch on them and make sure they don’t come near any pureblood institutions”

Mary turned around sharply “I would think that it would be in the best interest of the child if a member of the wizarding community was aware of their abilities. To prevent unnecessary damage or a mislabeling of mental instability or intentional mischief making. But go ahead, keep making your biased assumptions about my house.”

Now everyone was wide awake. Their eyes flicked between Mary and Professor Binns as she calmly kept eye contact and waited for his answer. “Ms. Poppins” he said in a somewhat exasperated tone “The quill of acceptance is a magical instrument, enchanted to provide a specific service to the school. It senses magic, it attempts to write the name. The book of admittance distinguishes the level of magic exhibited and allows to be written down those names that meet the criteria set forth by our past headmasters. These names are then used to inform students when they are of age to begin their schooling. That is all. NOW, where was I?”

He picked up his place in the text and continued his lecture, the students once again sliding into a stupor. “I’ll take that as a no” Mary said icily to herself, jotting a few things down with her quill and ignoring the professor at the front of the room.


	2. Muggle Born Wizard at Your Service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mary meets Bert and gets a new idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own none of the characters

When class ended the students hurriedly packed up and tumbled out of the room towards the Great Hall. Mary was lost in thought when she felt a light touch at her elbow. “They don’t tell the muggles anything” a low voice answered “On your 11th birthday boom, a letter arrives. Then a day later someone from the school shows up to try and convince your parents to let you go.”

Mary gave a long, considering look to the boy beside her. “You’re Burt “she said, a statement not a question “in Hufflepuff?”

“Yes Ma’am” he answered with a smile and a slight bow “Muggle born wizard at your service.”

“Walk with me Burt” she said decisively “I have some questions.” She took off down the hall and he looked startled for a moment before racing to catch up. They walked in silence down the hall for a few more moments, Burt stealing glances at the composed witch beside him. 

“If I may be so forward” Mary finally asked “How did you discover you were a wizard?”

“Oh, that” Burt laughed and rubbed his neck ruefully “Well, I was up on the roof one time and lost my footing. I slipped and thought for sure I’d fall and break my neck. But, instead I just, sort of, stopped. Half on and half off the roof, until I could scramble back up to sure footing. After that I noticed little things. Nothing fancy but enough to know it wasn’t what you’d call natural.”

“I see” she answered “And what did your parents say when your Hogwarts letter came?”

“Like they noticed” he said half to himself, then realized he’d said it aloud “Well, you see, my family wasn’t exactly well off. When I told them, I’d had an offer of a place to go to school and all they just wanted to know how much it was going to cost them. When I told them, it was free they were pretty darn cheerful to drop me off at the station.”

Mary didn’t answer, just walked along quietly while he collected himself. As they turned into the courtyard she stopped abruptly and faced him “It is ridiculous that muggle borns are left to fend for themselves through childhood and then they and their families are just expected to cheerfully accept the existence of magic and ship their children off to some place they’d never heard of before that day.” She pinched her nose between her fingers and took a deep breath “And what about the muggles who AREN’T magically inclined enough to be written in the book of admittance? They still show some signs of magic. What about them? They just fend for themselves their whole lives with no guidance?” 

Burt shrugged, he didn’t have an answer but it didn’t seem like she was really looking for one. 

They had circled the courtyard and were headed back to the Great Hall. The clink of silverware and the voices of students drifted out as Mary smiled again at Burt “Thank you so much for your enlightening revelations” she said sincerely “I don’t want to keep you from your lunch.” Before he could say anything, she had turned in a swirl of skirts and robes and was walking purposefully back into the castle. 

Burt shook his head in amusement. She may be friendlier then some but her decisiveness and strength of purpose showed she was all Slytherin at heart. “Well, that’s probably the last of that” he said to himself as he walked in to lunch.


	3. The Headmaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary tries to solve the problem the official way

Mary walked quickly through the castle. Stepping lightly over the moving stairs and ignoring the chatter of the portraits. She stopped outside the gargoyle on the third floor and tapped it lightly on the nose with her wand. Its eyes snapped open and glared at her as she said “I request an audience with the Headmaster” Three heartbeats later the gargoyle sprang aside revealing the passageway into the Headmaster’s office.

Phineas Nigellus Black was sitting behind the tall desk, bent over a stack of parchment. Mary stood quietly, waiting to be acknowledged and doing her best not to broadcast her annoyance. She was well acquainted with the power plays of male authority figures and she thought it silly and a waste of time. “Ms. Poppins” he said when he finally looked up “What do you want.”   
“Headmaster” she said, “Professor Binns was talking in class about the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance”

“And?” he snapped 

“And” she smiled as sweetly as she could “I was curious about the procedure for identifying and alerting muggle born families of their children’s abilities and the existence of Hogwarts”

“Muggle borns” the Headmaster spat out “You want to know our procedures for coddling muggle borns?”

Mary was surprised at the venom in his voice. She had heard that the Headmaster aligned with those that preached blood purity…but she still hadn’t expected that. She took a breath and put on her most simpering smile, looking up at him through her lashes and twisting her hands. “Coddling sir? Oh no, not that. I just meant that unintended magic from those not in our world could cause so many problems for all of us and I was just worried if we were safe. I knew sir that you would have the answer to such a difficult, perplexing problem” 

His condescending smirk made her skin crawl. “Quite right Ms. Poppins” he said with a satisfied tone “it would never do for us to be caught unawares and to endanger the pureblood families such as your own. But you don’t have to worry my dear, muggles rarely notice the flares of magic and when they do, they attribute it to…. instability of the individual and react accordingly.”

Her stomach rolled as she imagined what “reactions” muggles might have to the flares of childhood magic. She looked down in what she hoped was a demure manner, because if she made eye contact, she knew he would see her disgust. “Does the ministry have any means of tracking and reacting to these flares sir?”

“No” he said smugly “The Quill is the only piece of magic that detects and records magic and it is strictly used for Hogwarts admissions. The ministry is called upon to mop up unfortunate incidents of magic at times, but it is purely a defensive measure, not an offensive one. Nevertheless, they do a sufficient job keeping the muggles unaware of us”

“Thank you, Headmaster. I feel so much better. I knew that you had thought of every angle. I would so love to see the book and quill for myself. I can only imagine the complicated and inspiring magic that went into them.”

“Yes.” Black agreed, “They are quite a sight. I often step into the tower myself when I can’t sleep in hopes of catching them in action. Unfortunately, students are not allowed. Now, Ms. Poppins, if your fears are sufficiently assuaged, I would encourage you to go back downstairs. Maybe lie down for a while until you feel recovered enough to continue your day.”

“Thank you, Headmaster. I will do just that” She curtsied slightly and made her way out of the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been interesting trying to find dates for different people/events. I've done the best I can from Pottermore and Harry Potter wiki and other sources. I also know that my slang/language is not accurate for the time period but it will have to do for now!


	4. Pureblood Planning

Mary kept her composure down the passageway and past the gargoyle. She wasn’t sure what kind of surveillance the Headmaster had around his office but she wasn’t taking any chances. In fact, she didn’t really take a full breath until she was out of the castle and under a tree near the Black Lake. Only then did she let her legs give out and sink to the ground.  
She wasn’t distraught though, far from it. She was fuming and she was making plans. If neither Hogwarts or the Ministry was doing anything about this then clearly, she would have to. 

Later that night Mary sat in the Slytherin common room watching shapes swimming by in the Black Lake. She pulled a piece of parchment closer and took out a quill.   
“Problem” she wrote and then tapped her quill on her chin “Problem: Muggle born children may show signs of magic from a young age and there are no provisions in place for guiding them or their families through the process. Children eligible for Hogwarts are notified upon their acceptance with no warning. Children deemed ineligible for Hogwarts are ignored by the wizarding community.”

“Yes” she said aloud “That is a problem. But what is the solution?” Glancing back at her paper she noted “Solution: Find a way to intercept all muggle born children identified by the Quill. Make contact with them and/or their families to assist in either controlling the magic or preparing to enter the wizarding world.”

“Oh well, easy enough” she snorted derisively. “I’ll just get on that right away.” Slipping the paper into her bag she headed for her dormitory. It was just like her to get caught up in an impossible task. And even more like her to pick the one because that meant she’d have no allies among her family or the other students in her house. “I should just forget it” she muttered.

But she couldn’t. She tossed all night with images of children showing innocent flares of magic only to be carted off and locked up or bullied by their families into docile submission. Just as the sun was filtering into the depths of the lake she sat up and swore softly (a habit she saved for moments of great need). Blood purity was a dangerous, divisive myth. Magic was magic no matter who it took root in. If no one was helping then she’d have to do it, alone if necessary.


	5. Every Problem In Its Place

A Ravenclaw would have sunk into near obsession over the problem. A Gryffindor would have charged in headfirst without any more thought. A Hufflepuff, well, no one was quite sure what Hufflepuff would have done but it probably would have involved a huge amount of teamwork. But Mary was a Slytherin. So, she put the problem in its own box and set it on a high shelf in the orderly room of her mind. It wasn’t out of sight, but it wasn’t cluttering up the rest of her life either. 

“What” Professor Cora asked “is the easiest spell you know.” There was a rustling among the students as they turned to one another. “You” she said, pointing her wand at a boy in the back of the classroom.

Clearing his throat, he intoned “Wingardium Leviosa” and his seatmates’ quill hovered above the desk. 

“Very good” Professor Cora beamed “That is indeed one of the first incantations taught to students when they enter Hogwarts. But, WHY is it an easy spell?” Mary sat up straighter watching Professor Cora with interest “Words, wand movements” she continued “These vary and may make things more difficult for an individual but they don’t make it universally more difficult.” She continued to roam the room, flicking her wand towards the board she levitated the chalk and wrote “INTENTION” across it. “the quill is inert. It has no inherent direction of its own. So, changing is use takes little intention.” 

Flicking her wand again she called out “Expecto Patronum!” an eagle erupted from the end of her wand and soared over the heads of her students before settling onto a high rafter. “Unlike the feather, the patronus is happy memory that has been converted into a corporeal projection with defensive and communicative proprieties. You change not only the form of the memory but its basic function. This requires a high degree of intention and is therefore incredibly more difficult. Yes? Ms. Poppins”, She said, facing the students once again

“Professor, if giving something intention is relatively easy and changing intention is difficult…what about detouring the intention?”   
Professor Cora’s eyes gleamed “Go on” she encouraged

“So” Mary continued slowly “Instead of changing intention entirely you just…divert it?” She bit her lip trying to think of an example “So, a train that is enchanted to run from one station to another. If you made it fly to the station instead of roll or had it stop at a station in the middle before continuing on it would still fulfill its intention.”

“10 points to Slytherin” Professor Cora said with a smile “Yes, Ms. Poppins while that wouldn’t’ be as easy as giving intention it would certainly be easier then making wholesale change.” Professor Cora moved on to a related topic, but Mary was still lost in thought. In her mind’s room the box on the shelf rattled slightly. She tucked this piece of information into it and turned her attention back to class.


	6. A Meeting

Bert didn’t look up when the owls brought the morning mail in. In 6 years at Hogwarts he had received exactly one letter, and that was official Ministry correspondence. So, he was taken by surprised when a small tawny owl dropped a letter right on top of his sausages. Opening it carefully he unfolded the piece of paper.

_Bert,_

_If you would be so kind as to meet me in the library during the free period after lunch,_

_I would appreciate it._

_MP_

MP? He glanced around the Great Hall trying to figure out who had sent it. Laughter at the Slytherin table made him look over. There was Mary placidly stirring sugar into her tea and ignoring the antics of her tablemates. What did Mary Poppins want with him? He shrugged and went back to his breakfast, he’d find out after lunch.

The library was dark and quiet after the bustle of noontime in the Great Hall. Bert wasn’t a frequent visitor to the library and wandered through the stacks for a while before seeing Mary’s head bent over a stack of books near the back of the room. Approaching slowly, he cleared his throat and tapped the table gently to get her attention. “Ah, you came. Wonderful. Thank you” she said and sprang out of her chair. Muttering a few incantations Bert felt a ripple of magic flow over him and surround the two of them and the table like a soap bubble “Glamour” Mary explained dismissively “If anyone glances over, we are studiously bent over our work completely that blasted potions essay.”

Bert had almost forgotten about the essay, but before he could open his mouth Mary started pacing…and talking “While I have not completely sorted out how to gain the information that we need I feel like I have a lead on that and will be able to develop it into a full-fledged plan very soon. However, I realized that it is actually a two-sided problem. There is how we get the information in the first place and then also what we do with it and how we approach and gain the trust of the target in order to support and provide proper guidance. As a pureblood raised entirely in the Wizarding world, I have a very limited experience set to draw from, which is of course where you come in.” She turned to look at him expectantly.

“I’m sorry. Um. What?” Bert looked stunned and tried to sort out all of the things she’d said in such a rush.

Mary pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers, he’d noticed that before and guessed it was a habit of hers. “Bert, the other day after History of Magic, we had talked about the problem of muggle born witches and wizards not being given any guidance about their developing powers and not being contacted until the Hogwarts letter arrived…if that even happens”

“Oh, right, that” he answered weakly “I figured that was just a…a…thought experiment of yours” He’d nearly forgotten about the exchange entirely and had to take a minute to recall Professor Binns’ lecture and Mary’s response.

“Nonsense” she said crisply “I am completely serious.”

“but, ah” Bert stopped and rubbed his neck in embarrassment

“What.” Mary said flatly “Just say it”

“Well” Bert continued “You, well, you’re a Slytherin and…and a pureblood. Isn’t it a little outside of your…well…. your normal scope to be taking on the problems of Muggleborns?”

Mary threw up her hands in exasperation “WHY does this seem to be the running theme among everyone at this blasted school. Yes, I’m a Slytherin. Yes, I’m a pureblood I believe that combination is supposed to mean that I am very interested in preserving the magical world and am also loyal and ambitious. Well, why is it so hard to imagine that I consider muggle born witches and wizards to be PART of the wizarding world and therefore worthy of protection?” She was pacing faster now “One of these days these outdated biases are going to cause real problems for the school. It is bad enough that the blood purity set keeps to itself out there…why does the school administration seek to have it trickle down to HERE.”

She stopped suddenly and dropped into a chair. It was the first time that Bert had seen her anything but completely crisp and put together “The system they have now is wrong. No one in a position of power is going to fix it. That means I have to. I would like your help.”

Bert puffed up his cheeks and let the air out in a long whoosh. Sitting down opposite her he gently placed his hand on top of hers “What do we do first?”

A genuine smile lit up Mary’s face and she pushed “Hogwarts: A History” towards him “How much did you catch about the Quill of Acceptance in Professor Binns’ class?” Bert scanned over the text

_At the precise moment that a child first exhibits signs of magic,_

_the Quill, which is believed to have been taken from an Augurey,_

_floats up out of its inkpot and attempts to inscribe the name of that child upon the pages of the Book_

“So,” he said slowly “What that means is that a record of all muggle borns who exhibit magic is already in existence?”

“Yes and no” Mary answered “The quill activates at even the slightest whiff of magic but the book of admittance will only allow the name to be inscribed if the child shows sufficient ability to be admitted to Hogwarts. I want to, well, to intercept the quill and have it write down the name in another place before it attempts to inscribe it in the book. Then, we would have a running record.”


	7. Diverting Intention

“Let me just check if I’m following you” Bert said patiently “You want to locate a piece of ancient magic within the school that no student has ever observed and tamper with it to divert the information to another place?”

“Yes” Mary said simply and sat back in her chair

“How”  
“I’m working on that” she admitted “But Professor Cora said that diverting magical intention is not as difficult as changing it. As long as we aren’t changing the, well, the main mission of the quill we should be able to add in a task without too much difficulty.”

“Ok” he gave her a lopsided grin “Putting that small part of it aside for the moment you said this was a two-sided problem. What is the other side?”

Mary leaned forward and gripped his hand in hers “What does it matter if we figure out what muggle born child has magical abilities if we can’t approach them and do anything about it? We can’t just waltz up to their front door and start spouting off about wizards and witches. It may not be the middle ages anymore but that still isn’t a super friendly topic.”

Bert scratched his chin thoughtfully “We need an in” he said finally “Something that lets us get close to the child for an unrelated and less…loaded reason. Build up trust with the family, assess the amount of magical ability and then either ward them to prevent accidents or prepare them for what may happen next.”

“That’s it!” Mary jumped up and started pacing again “When we get a name we spend time observing. She how we can break the ice with the family and get closer to them. Your right, many of the children may have just bare whiffs of magic and a simple ward will let them live peacefully. If it is more then that we’ll be in a better position to break the news to them and provide guidance. Brilliant.”

Bert grinned in embarrassment. He’d never had anyone describe him as “brilliant” especially not someone as self-assured and poised as this Slytherin witch. “Well” he said “Then I guess that is the plan….sort of?” 

Mary smiled back at him “At the very least it is a place to start.”


	8. We Have to Stop Meeting Like This

Bert slid into the seat across from Mary. She barely looked up, just waved distractedly and he felt the glamour slide into place over their table. Finally, she threw down her quill in disgust and looked up at him. He smiled a crooked smile and tapped the letter that had landed in his pumpkin juice that morning. “Not that I don’t appreciate the mail.” He began “But I got the sense that you were wanting to keep our project on the quiet side. People are going to start noticing if I start having regular correspondence from a mystery penpal.

“You’re right” Mary agreed “But I wasn’t sure how else to contact you.”

“Aha!” Bert said smiling “I have just the thing.” He slid a small notebook over to Mary. She flipped it open and saw it had a single piece of parchment inside. She looked up at Bert with a question. He pulled out his own notebook with a flourish and, with an exaggerated gesture, scrawled “Hello Mary” into it.

Mary gasped as the words “Hello Mary” appeared on her own piece of parchment. Bert looked pleased at her surprise. “Just a little something that I designed in 4th year. Easier for my mates and I to pass notes…discreetly.” Mary took up a quill and shielded the paper from him. He looked down as “You’re brilliant!” appeared on his own parchment. “Aw, thanks Mary” he said, looking a little embarrassed “Just glad it might be useful. Now, what did you want to talk about?”

“THIS!” she said with exasperation, gesturing to the mess of parchment full of ink blots and crossed out notations. “I’ve been trying to think of any way for us to locate the Quill of Acceptance. There are spells for bringing things to you and a disturbing number of spells for destroying things but none that I can find that let you LOCATE something.”

Bert looked through the list, trying to think of any spells she might have missed. “What we really need is an augury feather of our own” he commented “then when we do have an idea we can test it out.”  
“That would be lovely” Mary said sarcastically “Unfortunately they are rather hard to come by.”

Bert rubbed his chin thoughtfully “Professor Ravina might have one.”

“I don’t think we cover an augury in the care of magical creatures curriculum”

“True” Bert agreed “But Professor Ravina is passionate about the subject. Have you ever been to her quarters? Every shelf is stuffed with artifacts from every strange creature you can imagine. If anyone has an augury feather it would be her.”

“Have you been to her quarters?” Mary asked with curiosity

“A few times” Bert admitted “I’d say Care of Magical Creatures is my favorite class. We got talking and she told me to pop down any time to read through her books or ask questions.”

“Do you think you could find a way, discreetly of course, to find out if she has an augury feather and…ah…temporarily procure it for us?” Mary asked 

“I’ll give it my best try!” Bert replied

“If you do that, I’ll keep thinking of how we can locate this quill. No sense trying to plan beyond that until we know what we are dealing with.”

Bert got up and stuck out his hand to Mary “Until next time?” he grinned as she took his hand and gave it a squeeze.


	9. Birds of a Feather

Bert figured there was no sense in waiting. He had a free period before dinner and he might as well see if Professor Ravina was in. He made his way down to her cabin near the stables and creature pens. Knocking lightly on the door he pushed it open when he heard her muffled “Come in!”

“Mr. Albert!” She exclaimed in delight “I haven’t seen you in forever. Can you stay for a cup of tea?”

“That’d be lovely Professor” he replied, gently moving a pile of books and a large model of a bowtruckle off a seat. Professor Ravina moved about the kitchen getting the tea things together as Bert let his eyes roam over the collections tucked into every nook and cranny. His eyes landed on a gigantic feather reaching across the entire mantelpiece. “Professor” he called out “What is this feather?” 

“Ah that!” she said with pride “That my dear boy is a feather from a Roc. Gigantic bird of prey. Gorgeous, darling little fellow.” Bert smiled, everyone he knew that worked with magical creatures thought they were the most adorable things on the planet…no matter how fearsome.

“I’m interested in birds myself” he admitted, trying to keep his voice light “Of course I’ve mostly seen muggle birds from growing up but I’m trying my best to learn about magical birds as well.”

“Oh! I have just the thing for you!” Professor Ravina swooped over to a shelf, knocking a small crossbow and a gardening trowel off and reaching for a large, black book. She dusted it off with the sleeve of her robe and plopped it in front of Bert. He opened it gingerly (one time he’d gotten a nasty bite from a book she had leant him) and saw page after page of feathers secured to parchment. “This is my own collection” she said a bit shyly. “I’ve been collecting bird feathers from magical birds since I was a girl. I have one of the best collections in Britain!” 

“This is amazing!” Bert said, and meant it, he gently stroked a phoenix feather and watched the shine from the feather of an alicanto. 

Professor Ravina beamed “You should borrow it!” she said “Look through it and just bring it back when you are done.”

“Are you sure Professor?”

“Of course! What good is a collection if no one can enjoy it? Besides, I don’t get many students as eager as you about magical creatures.

“Thank you so much Professor!” Bert said with delight “I’ll very careful with it. Now, I think you mentioned something about tea?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Roc is an enormous legendary bird of prey in the popular mythology of the Middle East and an Alicanto or Allicanto is a mythological bird from Chile whose wings are beautiful metallic colors


	10. Like Finds Like

Mary was brushing her hair in front of her dormitory mirror that night, half listening to the chatter of her dorm mates. “Oh bother!” Delphi said peevishly “I’ve dropped another hair pin.” 

“Here” Cassandra said, holding out another pin “Drop this one too”

“What good will that do?” Delphi laughed “Then we’ll just have two lost pins”

“Like finds like!” Cassandra intoned in a sing-song voice “My Grandmother always said that if you drop something to drop another thing just like it because they will find each other.”

Delphi shrugged and dropped the pin. Bending down she came up with a pin in each hand “Well!” she exclaimed with a laugh “10 points to your Grandmother’s house!”

“Like finds like” Mary murmured thoughtfully “I can do something with that.”

Later that night when the breathing of her dormmates were even and quiet Mary sat up and pulled the curtains tightly around her bed. “Lumos” she whispered, using the soft glow to locate the book on Latin grammar she had hidden under her pillow.

Flipping through pages she finally landed on something that looked promising. Realizing she hadn’t thought ahead to how she would test this idea she looked around for something that would work. Finally she very carefully ripped a tiny corner of the book and held the shard in her hand. Pushing the rest of the book as far down the bed as she could reach she touched the tip of her wand to the tiny scrap of paper. “Tarda Revirta” she whispered and held in her mind the image of the book made whole again. 

Nothing happened for a brief moment and then the piece of paper rose and shot straight over to the book, floating down into the spot where it had been torn. “It worked!” She cried, then quickly hushed and listened to see if anyone had stirred. 

But would it be enough? She wondered. The paper and book were from the same object, even if they did get an augury feather there was little chance it would be from the same bird. She wracked her brain for another test she could run, something that was unique like the augury feather but had an unrelated duplicate. She couldn’t think of anything in easy reach and finally gave up. She’d have to see if Bert had found the feather and then they’d just have to test it on the real deal. “Nox” she whispered again and set her wand down gently before laying down to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to Google Translate "Tarda Revirta" is "reunite" which seemed fitting


	11. Feather in My Cap

When Mary woke up, she was a little disoriented, it still seemed dark out. Then she remembered how tightly she’d pulled her bed curtains around her last night. Before she pushed them open, she reached eagerly for the little notebook Bert had given her. Flipping it open she smiled in delight

_Same time. Same place. I’ll be the one with the feather in my cap. -B_

She could almost see his crooked grin as he signed it with a flourish.

After lunch she made her way to the table in the library where they usually met. Bert had beat her there and waved merrily at her. She waved back and then flicked her wand to slide the glamour into place “You really have to teach me how to do that” Bert marveled, as he watched the shimmering light envelop them “Seems quite useful.” She laughed and promised then looked at him expectantly. With a theatrical gesture he pulled the dusty book from his bag and laid it with a bow in front of Mary.

She opened it carefully and gasped at the rows of feathers on each page. “Is there?” she asked

“15th page” he answered. She flipped quickly to the 15th page and stroked the greenish black feather. She smiled up at him in excitement “What about you?” he asked “Any more brilliant ideas?”

“Sort of” she said with a frown “I invented a spell last night that I think will work but I wasn’t able to test the exact circumstances that we’re facing.

“You invented a spell?” Bert asked incredulously “Last night?”

“Oh, yes?” Mary said “Is that unusual?”

“A little!” Bert laughed “Most students just learn the spells not make up new ones.”

“Well,” Mary said defensively “The spells are just Latin and intention like Professor Cora said. I couldn’t find the one I wanted so I thought I’d do it myself.”

“I think that could be your personal motto” Bert teased gently “It could not be found and therefore it was created.” He saw that Mary looked a little guarded and he grasped her elbow “It’s brilliant” he said sincerely “Just unexpected. When can we try the spell?”

Mary shrugged “How about now? No time like the present!”

“The second part to your personal motto!” Bert laughed “Alright spell-mistress. Begin your incantation.”

Mary gently pried the augury feather out of the book. She cradled it in her hand and touched the tip of her wand to it. Concentrating as much as she could on the mental image of the Quill of Acceptance she whispered “Tarda Revirta”

Both of them were holding their breath, waiting to see if anything would happen. Nothing did

Mary held the thought as best she could, trying to ignore the doubts that were creeping up. It was an untested spell, she reminded herself, just a late-night idea. She felt a warm hand on her back and Bert placed the tip of his wand on the feather as well. Mary felt a ripple of magic through the feather and for a second, she thought she saw green and gold threads twining over her hand before shooting off in every direction.

The feather twitched violently, levitated 6 inches off her hand and shot off through the library.

Bert and Mary looked at each other in shock and took off running after the feather. Thankfully it was a beautiful afternoon so the corridors were almost deserted. Mary wasn’t sure what she would say if someone demanded she explain what they were up to.

The feather dipped and curved and Mary and Bert jumped over trick steps and bounded up moving staircases. Bert was impressed at how fast Mary could move, even hampered by skirts and robes. She kept pace with him as they skidded past scandalized portraits that murmured to each other.

Up ahead he could see the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster’s office “Should’ve known” Mary huffed irritably. But the feather went past the gargoyle and then stopped suddenly, twirling and vibrating in place in front of a large tapestry. More slowly, the feather inched forward and slowly began tapping against the horn of a slightly jaundiced looking unicorn. They watched, but the feather just kept tapping and bumping, clearly trying to move forward but being stopped by the wall.

“Finis” Mary whispered and the feather shivered, then floated to the ground. Bert picked it up carefully and tucked it into his robe as Mary ran her hands over the tapestry. Moving it gently to one side she began investigating the wall behind it. “Look here” she beckoned to Bert, showing him where a stone protruded slightly from the rest. “I think this is it, a hidden door.”

The creak of the gargoyle moving aside made them both jump. Looking wild eyed at each other they bolted down the hallway and into an empty classroom. Mary peered through the crack as they watched Headmaster stalk down the hallway. They both held their breath until he had turned the corner and was out of sight. Only did then Mary smile slightly and Bert let out a loud laugh “My dear” he said to Mary “This is beginning to get good!”


	12. Green and Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go!

Mary lay on her bed reading her Charms textbook. Well, reading was not quite right but she was definitely looking in its direction. She and Bert had agreed they wouldn’t take the next step until they were sure the Headmaster was out of the castle but it was hard to think about anything else.

“Okay” Delphi said bouncing onto Mary’s bed “Who is he?”

Mary looked up startled “I beg your pardon?”

“You’ve been staring at that same page for the last five minutes with a silly little grin. Who is he?” She repeated with a laugh

“OH!” Mary started “No, there is no ‘he’ Delphi. I’m just a bit distracted by a, uh, particularly tricky assignment I’m working on.”

“Mhm” Cassandra smirked “I know just what you mean. I always look like that when my …ahem…extra curriculars are on my mind too.” She winked at Mary and smiled knowingly at Delphi.

“Seriously, you’ve got the wrong idea. Besides, you know that none of that kind of thing is left up to chance in our families” Mary sighed

“Hey” Delphi said “At least your father is downright progressive compared to ours. You haven’t already been betrothed right?

“Yeah” Cassandra said “I need any romance by proxy I can get. I’ve known who I was going to end up with since we were both in diapers.”

Mary laughed bitterly “No. I’m not betrothed. I just had an oath bound to me that would never allow me to marry anyone but a pureblood.”

“OH!” The girls chorused in unison “So he isn’t pureblood hmmmm?”

“I’m going to bed” Mary said pointedly before shutting the curtains around her bed soundly.

But Mary wasn’t tired. She lay there thinking over the events of the day. She had to admit even to herself that the feel of Bert’s hand on her back had been…nice and the feel of their magics mingling had been…. just right. She also blushed a little remembering how impressed he had been with her spell work. No one had ever noticed that she actually knew what she was doing with magic before. She pulled the little notebook towards her and took up a quill. Thinking for just a moment she wrote

_I can’t believe I made up a spell. And that it worked._

Words tumbled on to the page almost as soon as hers had vanished

_Can’t sleep either eh? It is because you are brilliant spell mistress. Brilliant and full of surprises. Now get some sleep- B_

Mary smiled and put the notebook away.

The idea for how to get the Headmaster out of Hogwarts came to her as she watched the owls swooping in over the morning mail. Without waiting a second, she grabbed a piece of parchment

_Father, The Headmaster is SUCH a talented and committed wizard and has been working SO hard for Hogwarts.I think it would be ever so nice if the ministry recognized his efforts with an award. Don’t you think? Mary_

She slipped it around the leg of an owl and sent it on its way, humming slightly to herself.

At the end of the week the Headmaster came swanning into the Great Hall during breakfast. “Attention students!” he commanded “The ministry has seen fit to give me some long overdue recognition. I will be at the celebration through the weekend. Professor Theodosia is the deputy headmistress while I am gone. Give her the respect she deserves.” Dutifully the students clapped and then went back to their breakfast. Over the heads of their housemates Mary and Bert caught each other’s eye. She pulled out her notebook and wrote

_After dinner?_

And looked up to see him nod and wink. Mary could barely concentrate through her classes. Each time she saw Delphi or Cassandra they giggled slightly and made lovesick pouty gestures at her. Fine let them think she was planning an assignation of some kind, whatever kept them from guessing the truth.

After dinner she slipped up to the tapestry near the Headmaster’s office. Bert was already waiting for her with his ready grin. “You ready spell mistress?” he winked at her.

Her smile was a little more lopsided, now she was getting nervous. Pulling out her wand she whispered “Alohomora” at the protruding brick. It started to shift and morphed into…a spinning wheel? Standing less then 8 inches high it was still a perfect replica of a spinning wheel. Bert whistled and bent closer to examine it “Don’t touch it” Mary said automatically, putting out an arm to keep him away.

“Why?” Bert asked “What is it?”

“A test” Mary said bitterly “Of blood purity. For she shall prick her finger on the spinning wheel and if she be not of pure blood she shall fall down dead.”

“Wait a minute” Bert said “That sounds like an upside-down version of Sleeping Beauty”

“Oh” Mary said “It is. I know the tale has seeped out to muggle children but they don’t tell you the whole story. The queen was a witch, the king a muggle. The wicked fairy was determined that only those of pureblood should rule. So, she devised this test.”

“So, to unlock the door?” Bert’s voice trailed off

“I have to prick my finger’ Mary said wearily. She reached out with one hand and hovered over the spindle. Bert laced his fingers through her other hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Tapping her finger against the sharp tip she watched as a single drop of blood coursed down and the spinning wheel seemed to melt and reform into the handle of a door. She hesitantly pushed it open and they walked through together. She realized that Bert was still holding her hand, and that she didn’t’ mind at all.

The tower was unnaturally quiet. Even their footsteps made no sound as they followed the curve of the stair. At the landing they found themselves in a small room with windows high in the eves. The only furniture was a table with a peeling book laying open on one end and a greenish blue feather upright in an inkpot on the other. “There it is” Bert said in awe “Beautiful” Mary looked at him questioningly “Can’t you see it? He asked? The lights?” Mary shook her head. Bert dropped her hand and walked closer to the table. “Just here he said, pointing to the feather, its like a network of gold ribbons leading over to here.” He walked closer to the book “And the book is surrounded by green flecks.”

Mary pursed her lips, green and gold magic? Pulling out her wand she whispered “Priori INcantatem” and arced to include the whole table. A swirl of golden dust formed into the outline of Helga Hufflepuff bending over the quill while green sparks outlined Salazar Slytherin near the book. “Hmm” Mary said then laughed ruefully “Makes sense though doesn’t it? Hufflepuff, who wanted to educate everyone, enchanted the quill to look for any spark of magic. Slytherin, who was looking for just the best, paired it with the book to be more selective.”

Together they paced around the table, whenever she got too near the quill Mary’s vision clouded slightly and she felt a little dizzy. If she kept her distance everything was fine. Bert seemed unaffected no matter where he was standing. “Well” Mary said finely “Its obvious isn’t it? It has to be you”

Bert looked startled “ME?!?”

“Yes” Mary answered “You are the Hufflepuff of this duo. She clearly didn’t want anyone but those in her own house being able to come near her enchantment. It has to be you.” Bert stared thoughtfully at the quill. Mary stepped back and sank to the floor, letting him think. It was really the first time she’d LOOKED at him and she had to admit he was…handsome? She shook her head like she was trying to clear the thought out…they had a job to do.

After a few long minutes Bert reached into his robe and pulled out a piece of rolled up parchment paper. Whispering some incantations over it he laid it down at the table between the book and the quill. “So” he said, turning to Mary “Your idea is that if we divert the quill, but still let it finish its task, that the enchantment shouldn’t fight it too much?”

“That’s the idea” Mary admitted “But I haven’t had a chance to really test it out.”

Bert nodded and turned back to the table. “I’ve enchanted the parchment just like ours. Whatever is written on it should show up on ours as well.”

Mary was struck by the simplicity. “That’s perfect!” she cried. “Here I was trying to come up with some complex solution and really it was as simple and elegant as that.”

Bert’s ears turned a bit pink “Well, we still have to make it work. I did think of it last night though so I dusted off my old Latin grammar book as well. The idea is the quill stops at the paper first and writes then goes on to the book. Took inspiration from a certain spell mistress I happen to know.” He grinned at her and she smiled back. “Here goes nothing” he said, taking a deep breath. He held his wand over the quill and Mary could see the golden threads shimmering between it and the book. Slowly he drew his wand in an arc over to the paper, dragging the threads along with it. “Duplicare” he said firmly before continuing the arc over to the book.

When he lowered his wands for a brief moment there was a shimmering path from the quill, to the paper and on to the book. Then it faded out of view. Mary and Bert looked at each other. The quiet had descended over the room again and everything seemed the same. Even the addition of Bert’s spell didn’t change the way the magic in the room felt.

“Now….” said Bert

“We wait” Mary responded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duplicare is a rough Google Translate of "Duplicate" into Latin :)


	13. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pure fluff. Could have just as easily said "X number of months later" but what is the fun in that?

The next day….

_So, how long do you think it will take for something to happen? - B_

_I have no idea, could be soon, could be months from now. No way to know really- M_

_I guess that means our planning is on hold for now. I do think it would be good for us to keep in touch. Just to make sure that we are both on top of things and in case we come up with any great ideas. Don’t you think? - B_

_I couldn’t agree more. I think that is an incredibly wise plan- M_

A month later…

_How was your day? Did your exam go well? I saw you out in the Greenhouses as I was leaving the castle, what on earth happened to cover you in dirt from head to toe? -M_

_My day was good! Better now getting your note. I’m sure the exam was my usual fine-but-not-spectacular. You don’t have to tell me how you did spell-mistress…I’m sure it was exceptional. Ah, yes, the Greenhouses. We just a little accident with some blithering bumbleroot. Did you know they should never be kept in proximity to iron? Well, now I know that too. Are you going to Hogsmede this weekend? I’m planning to, if we both ended up at the Three Broomsticks around 2:00 that would be a coincidence wouldn’t it?-B_

_What on EARTH was Professor Trudy thinking keeping any iron in the greenhouse? That could have been a true disaster. I’m glad you are alright and just ended up covered in dirt. I think a Hogsmeade weekend sounds lovely. Save me a seat and get me some Butterbeer, I’ll make it over there around 2.- M_

3 months later….

_You looked radiant today. I’m not sure what it was but something about the way the sun was coming into the Great Hall just lit you up with even more brilliance then usual- B_

_Flattery will get you everywhere sir. I would love to see you. Fancy a little studying in the library later? - M_

_I’ll see you their spell-mistress- B_

If anyone had asked them, they wouldn’t have been able to explain what it is that they were. They were friends, but they were more then friends, but they couldn’t be more then friends. Different houses, different backgrounds, different everything.

Delphi and Cassandra had wanted to be scandalized at Mary’s “special Hufflepuff friend” but his easy smile and charm made that impossible. Bert’s Hufflepuff pals were skeptical of the pureblood Slytherin…but after Mary got them out of a jam involving an engorgio spell gone wrong and a duck on the Black Lake they agreed she was “all right” Considering it was mostly letters, the occasional studying in the library and sedate walks through Hogsmeade no one else seemed to notice…and that was just what Mary and Bert wanted.

_Graduation is just around the corner- M_

_Don’t remind me. Professor Ravina keeps hounding me about what my plans are. It makes me realize that I should have some plans- B_

_Well…what are your plans? - M_

_Not you too! - B_

_Not like that. I mean, will I still get to see you? - M_

_All I know is I am planning to move to London, Muggle London. I’ll do this and that and figure it out. What about you? - B_

_I’ve convinced my parents that I need to get a flat in Diagon Alley and do some further education. I’ve arranged an apprenticeship with a noted Charms practioner Dr. Featherlight…do you know her? Of course, if our spell ends up working then we’ll have to see what happens. - M_

_That’s wonderful, I knew you’d go far spell-mistress. Maybe then we will still be able to catch up on occasion at the Leaky Cauldron? - B_

_I would be delighted- M_


	14. And Off We Go

Mary was bent over a small pile of gemstones. As she whispered and poked them with her wand they would rattle ever so slightly and pulse with light. She sat back and wiped her forehead. Dr. Featherlight came in and looked over her shoulder “Excellent work Mary” she patted the younger witch on the shoulder “These need to mature for at least 30 minutes, why don’t you take a walk, get a breath of fresh air?” Mary smiled gratefully and gathered up her things

Diagon Alley was still quiet, the lunch rush hadn’t started yet. As she walked along, she pulled out the little notebook. It was habit now, she knew Bert wouldn’t write until the evening and the spell they cast together in that quiet little room was safely tucked away in the box in her mind. She hadn’t given up, but she wasn’t going to dwell on it. Still, she always looked.

_Susana Winters_

_11 Elm St_

_London_

She almost dropped the book in surprise. Her fingers were shaking as she quickly copied down the address. Tucking the book away she pulled out her wand “Expecto Patronum” she whispered and a little robin poked its beak flew out of her wand and settled on her outstretched hand “Find Bert” she told it, stroking where its chest feathers would be “tell him to look at his notebook.” The bird tilted its head to one side then leapt into the air.

Mary watched it go then turned back to Dr. Featherstone’s lab. She would have some explaining to do.

Bert was at the entrance to the park putting some finishing touches on his elaborate chalk drawings. He wanted to test out a new theory he had about how to make chalk drawings move like portraits did. He was sure if he could get it to work the wizarding toy companies would be fighting for production rights. The hat sitting welcomingly beside him had collected a few muggle coins…which wasn’t bad either.

He was startled to see a ghostly robin flying towards him. It landed lightly on his shoulder and Mary’s voice rang in his ear “Bert, check your notebook.” He fumbled in his pockets and drew out the notebook, his eyes falling on Susana’s name and address.

Standing up abruptly he gathered his materials. Stopping just long enough to scribble into the book “I see it. Meet me at 117 Oxley Lane in an hour” he hurried down the road.

With a quiet pop, Mary apparated into Oxley lane and looked carefully about. She followed the narrow alley until she found 117. Hesitating slightly, she rang the bell and listened as it echoed far into the building.

Bert opened the door and Mary surprised them both by falling into his arms trembling and nearly starting to cry. “Bert! It worked! Now what do we do?”

Bert pulled a handkerchief out of one of many pockets and smiled at her “Come now spell-mistress. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought past this point?”

“Well” she stumbled “I have. I mean. Sort of. But its always been hazy because each child will require analyzing and the unique situation will need to be addressed in a customized approach.” She trailed off and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Well there, you see?” He said “You know just what we have to do. Analyze! Now, come meet Uncle Albert.” He swept Mary into the room and they rounded the corner to see a cheerfully smiling man looking at them over their spectacles. “Uncle Albert, may I introduce the one and only Mary Poppins?”

“Charmed!” the man said with a genuine smile and stood up to shake her hand vigorously “This nephew of mine has talked of little else since he moved in with me. How SMART Ms. Poppins is. How INVENTIVE. How PRETTY.”

“Well now, that is quite enough of that Uncle Albert” Bert interrupted hurriedly and smiled apologetically at Mary. “Uncle Albert has been kind enough to let me stay with him as I experiment with post-graduate living. He gives me room and board and I fix what needs fixing and provide some cheerful companionship.” He hugged the older man around the shoulders “Turns out that I wasn’t the only wizard in the family. Only Uncle Albert kept to himself and got the reputation of being ‘a bit odd’ so I never really got to know him. Well, after graduation a mutual acquaintance approached and made the introductions.”

The bell chimed in the distance and Bert and Uncle Albert smiled “That must be Andrew now!” he said and disappeared down the hall.

Mary shook her head “You, you look well Bert.” She finally said and he smiled a gentle smile at her.

“I’m doing alright. How about yourself?”

“Oh! My internship is fascinating. Dr. Featherstone has some wonderful projects going on and she is eager to have me branch out into my own research. In fact, well, since I wasn’t sure how long this was going to take, I took her into my confidences about our endeavor and she is quite thrilled to see how it turns out. I hope you aren’t angry?”

“Nonsense!” Bert laughed “Mary, this project is going to take more then just the two of us. Uncle Albert knows the basis and I think Andrew will be quite useful as well. AH!” He said, interrupting and turning to the door “There is Andrew now!”

A small, brown and black dog trotted into the room. It tilted its head to one side and looked at Mary curiously. She bent down to scratch the dog’s ears “Andrew is quite adorable” Mary agreed “But I’m curious how you think he’ll be of help?”

She stumbled backwards as the dog melted and reformed into the shape of boy. He had merry dark eyes and hair that stood up in all directions. “Because, Ms. Poppins” he said humbly “I have the ability to get into places unobserved and people aren’t nearly as guarded around a dog as a human.”

Mary just stared, Bert laughed as he hugged her around the shoulder “Andrew my friend, I don’t think I have ever once seen Mary Poppins at a loss for words. You deserve a plaque of honor!” He beckoned both of them into the next room where Uncle Albert had laid out the tea things. “Andrew is an Animagus. Mind you, not one that the Ministry EXACTLY knows about so we don’t mention it much. He’s a very bright and talented 16-year-old who was not afforded the opportunity of a Hogwarts education because of some…. misguided beliefs of his parents.”

“There muggles” Andrew said quietly “They didn’t hold with magic. They threw holy water at the Hogwarts representative and told him to leave and never come back. They thought they could, ah, beat the magic out of me. Told me it was the devil testing me” He stirred his tea and refused to make eye contact “I ran away soon after and luckily found some friends like Uncle Albert here.” He smiled gratefully at the older man “If I can help one other muggleborn like myself avoid that…. experience…. I want to.”

Mary laid a warm hand on top of Andrew’s “I’m so grateful you will help us” she said simply. Sipping her tea thoughtfully she finally said “Well, where do we begin?”

Uncle Albert pulled out a silver plate and polished it on his sleeve. “Lucky for you my dear, seeing is something that I have a bit of a knack for. Oh, not in that ‘allow me to tell your future’ kind of way but more of a ‘what is happening down the block’ variety.” He breathed on the plate, obscuring his reflection with steam “Susana Winters” he murmured. The steam cleared instantly and the image in the plate was whizzing through the London streets.

Mary was fascinated, and slightly nauseous, from watching the picture jump around. It soon landed on the figure of a little girl, about 7 years old, sitting on the steps outside her house. In the chair above her a woman in a spotless uniform sat rocking and reading. “That’s her nanny” Andrew said with a whisper “After Bert contacted me, I did a little sniffing around” Mary smiled at the joke “She lives with her father, no idea where her mother is, her nanny does much of the caretaking when she isn’t in school.”

Susana was idly stroking the petals of a flower when suddenly the petals turned a bright magenta. She jumped guiltily and pulled her hand away, the flowers faded to white and she looked around nervously before tucking her hands into her lap. “Ah” Mary said “that’s our girl alright. No other signs of magic around?”

“No,” Andrew confirmed “I cast magicae revelio and nothing came up.”

Mary tapped her chin thoughtfully “That poor nanny looks tired, doesn’t she?” Her eyes twinkled as she leaned closer to the plate “I think a vacation is just the thing for her. But, of course, she’d need someone to step in while she was gone.”

“Yes….” Bert said slowly “I agree. And wouldn’t it be good of her cousin Mary Poppins to step in and help so she could get that spring back in her step?” They grinned at each other as the image faded out of the plate. “Well Mary” Bert said “If you are going to be a proper English governess then we’d better get your wardrobe sorted out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> magicae revelio is meant to be a spell to reveal any magic in the area


	15. A Chaperone for a Young Lady

Bert and Mary sat on a park bench across from Susana’s house. The glamour shimmered over them as they watched the nanny and her charge in the garden. “Mary” Bert said uncomfortably “We are doing an awful lot of memory modification to make this work.”

Mary slipped her arm into his “Your Hufflepuff is showing” she said sweetly “It will be fine.” Taking a deep breath, she murmured a string of incantations and flicked her wand to send them whizzing across the street. They watched as the magic settled over the inhabitants. Mary hesitated for just a moment then shyly kissed Bert on the cheek “For luck” she said simply.

Bert watched as she embraced the nanny like they were old friends and shook hands with Susana. The three of them went into the house together. Bert rubbed his hands over his tired face “I sure hope you know what you are doing Mary Poppins” he said before dismantling the glamour and heading off down the street.

Darkness was falling as Mary helped Susana settle into the nursery. She sat rocking in the chair and, for the first time since they started, didn’t know what to do. She only had a week, how was she supposed to do this?

“I hate school” Susana said abruptly, sitting upright in bed.

“Oh,” Mary answered neutrally “Why is that?”

“The kids are awful, they don’t like me, they always say I’m doing things to them and I’m JUST NOT.” She flopped back onto her pillow and Mary thought she heard quiet crying

“What sort of things do they say you do?” Mary asked

“Well, Patricia, she’s this girl in my class. She said I yanked her hair during maths. I didn’t! I thought about it but I didn’t do it!”

Mary’s breath caught “Are there other things that they say you did but that you know you only thought about?”

Susana thought for a moment “Marie says that I knocked her lunch onto the floor after she was teasing me. I couldn’t have though because I wasn’t near her. She said I did. Said I was staring daggers at her and then her lunch jumped onto the floor.”

If Mary had needed any confirmation, this was it. Susana was showing all the classic signs of early magic. Flares, uncontrolled, coming up during times of high distress. “Well” she began carefully “It does sound like you couldn’t have done it. But, Susana, our brains are quite wonderous. Maybe you did.”

“That’s ridiculous” Susana nearly shouted “What do you mean I didn’t do it but my brain did. You don’t make any sense.”

“Hmm” Mary paused “Do you believe in magic Susana?”

Susana stared at her for a long minute “If you are just going to make fun of me Mary Poppins then I am going to go to sleep.” And she flopped over and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

Mary buried her head in her hands. She was messing up everything. She had planned so carefully but the human element was more then she had accounted for. Quietly pulling her notebook closer she wrote out a note to Bert

_I am messing everything up. She is showing flares of magic but when I brought up the possibility, she told me I was making fun of her. I can’t do this Bert- M_

The words faded away and she sat starting, hoping for a reply. He had trusted her, she had said she had it handled and now this… Just before she shut the book his words came tumbling onto the paper

_Never fear spell-mistress. Remember, this is a team effort. No one said you had to do it alone. Bring her to the park tomorrow at 10. Near the fountain. I’ll meet you- B_

Mary smiled and shut the book. Whatever he had planned she knew it would be better then her attempts.

The next day Susana sullenly got dressed when Mary said it was time for their outing. They walked through the park until the fountain came into view. Mary’s heart leapt when she saw Bert, chalk in hand, bent over a drawing on the pavement. He looked up and waved and she waved back eagerly, quickening her step to get over to him.

“You know this person?” Susana said, sounding more confused than anything else.

“Yes” Mary said happily “This is my friend Bert, we went to…well…to school together.”

Bert winked at Mary as he bowed low to Susana. “Hello madam. Are you a connoisseur of art?” Susana walked slowly around the drawings, stopping to look at small details every now and then

“I love art” she said quietly, and Mary was surprised by the passion in her voice. Bert handed her a piece of chalk and without a second thought she dropped to her knees and began drawing. Mary and Bert shrugged at each other and watched as a flock of birds over a seaside took shape on the sidewalk. When she was finished, she stood up and dusted off her hands before her face turned crimson “Don’t tell Papa!” she said wildly “He’d never approve of me, of me kneeling on the ground to draw. He thinks my scribbles are maddening as it is.”

Mary squeezed her shoulder “I think they are lovely.” She said firmly “But don’t worry. I don’t think there will be any cause to share.”

Bert strolled around her picture “Lovely” he commented “Its just lacking one thing.” Mary audibly gasped as he pulled out his wand but he sent her a warning look. Nudging the drawing slightly with the tip the birds soared off the pavement and wheeled and turned over the three of them before settling back down in the painting.

Susana just stared. First at Bert, then at Mary, then at her drawing “How did you do that?!?” she asked excitedly. Mary couldn’t believe the wonder in the girl’s voice

“Magic” Bert said simply “It can do much more then that. Watch this.” Reaching down into his own drawing he withdrew a bouquet of flowers. With a flourish he bowed and handed them to Susana. She inhaled deeply

“They smell so real!” she said with wonder

“It’s because they are real” he replied with a wink.

Mary felt like she had been turned to stone. Bert tucked a flower into her hat and whispered in her ear “She’s a child Mary. Believing in magic comes naturally to her.” Then he turned back to Susana “Did you know that Ms. Mary Poppins is one of the most accomplished practioners of magic this side of the channel?”

Susana’s eyes were wide and her mouth hung open as she turned back to Mary. “Close your mouth please” Mary said automatically “We are not a codfish” Susana’s mouth snapped shut, but she still stared at Mary. “Well” she started uncomfortably “It isn’t ladylike to brag but I have made a study of magic.”

Susana grabbed her by the arm. “Tell me everything” she said “You weren’t joking last night, were you?”

“No” Mary admitted “I wasn’t joking. I just, well, I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Tell me now’ Susana said emphatically and practically dragged Mary over to a bench. Mary looked over her shoulder at Bert with almost wild eyes. He smiled and gestured for her to go on. Whispering into the tip of his wand a bubble floated over to her and popped near her ear

“You can do it spell-mistress” his voice said encouragingly. She smiled gratefully at him and she and Susana settled onto a bench for what was sure to be a long chat.

The rest of the week passed rather quickly. Mary answered all of Susana’s questions and also carefully built up a series of wards for the girl that would help prevent other magical “accidents.” She avoided making any promises, who knew how strong the girls magic would be? But she did say that there were others out there and they would be looking after her.

Once she offered, somewhat hesitantly, to help Susana forget all about magic. TO ward her so accidents wouldn’t happen and let her get back to things as they were. Susana dismissed that with a wave of her wand “Never” she said decisively, and Mary was rather glad.

When it was time to say goodbye Susana clung to Mary. Mary stroked the girls head “Someone will always be nearby to take care of you” She was surprised to hear herself make such a promise, it was a big assumption, but she thought of Bert and Uncle Albert and Andrew and knew she could say it with confidence.

Bert met her at the end of the lane and Mary leaned more heavily on his arm then she had meant to. She was weary, but she couldn’t figure out why “Caretaking is a heavy burden” Bert said softly, as if he could hear the question in her mind. “Love never has a day off.” They didn’t speak any more until they were back in Uncle Albert’s kitchen with a hot mug of tea.

“I promised her someone would always be nearby” Mary said hesitantly but Bert just smiled

“And so, they shall.” He said with confidence. Pulling up a book he flipped it open to show Mary a series of wizard photographs. Men and women of various ages were smiling out her and waving energetically. “Meet the network, still working on a name. These are all the gallant witches, wizards and squibs here in London. There are flower sellers and shop-keepers and wealthy matrons and my own band of chimney sweeps.” He said with a touch of pride. “I’ve been building these connections and I think they will be just the thing to take care of our little ones. Keep an eye on them, you know?”

Mary leaned into Bert’s shoulders, not trusting herself to say anything. “How are you so good?” she finally murmured. Hesitantly he reached down to cover her hand with his own and kissed the top of her head.

They sat like that for a long time, until Bert finally broke the silence “Shall we keep going, spell-mistress? Will this do the good you hoped.”

Mary sat up and surreptitiously wiped her eyes “It’s early yet” she said slowly “But, it has promise. Yes, I’d like to keep going if…if you will too.”

Bert squeezed her hand “I’d go anywhere with you Mary.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I whizzed through writing things up to this point. Then, I sort of got stuck. I don't quite know what happened but I did my best to work through it


	16. Winds in the East

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A light epilogue just to wrap things up and bring it up to where most of us remember meeting our heroine

It had been a long time. Mary had been off on a series of difficult cases in the north of England and Bert had been managing things on the London end. He missed her. The hurried notes to each other were not the same since he couldn’t see her eyes sparkle or hear her laugh. “Listen to me” he said grumpily “Like a lovesick schoolboy.” He twisted the ring on his finger and the engraving “a diamond in the rough” caught the light. He smiled thinking of a similar ring on her own finger and her delight when they figured out that wizard oaths didn’t extend to muggle marriages. It wasn’t traditional, but it was perfect for them. Shaking his head, he hoisted his one-man band contraption onto his shoulders, he was due at the park for the morning performance.

He paused mid step and looked around. He thought he’d heard something familiar. Just then a change in the wind brought a small bubble floating down to him. It popped near his ear and he could hear Mary’s lovely laugh.

He smiled and sang, almost to himself

_Winds in the east, mist coming in. Like something is brewing about to begin. Can’t put me finger on what lies in store. But I feel what’s to happen all happened before._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading with me until the end! My first full length fic for this fandom and the first time I've written any kind of relationship into a piece. I hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> A delightful little plot bunny that has been hopping around my head since reading a prompt online. What if Mary was a witch? What if she made it her mission to ease muggle born children into the wizarding world? My first full length fic for this fandom. Doing this without a net so please be kind.
> 
> I own none of the works or characters mentioned.


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